Jefferson County has its money problems to a depth that some of us — like Driving Miss Crazy — cannot even fathom.

But word on the courthouse grapevine is that time is money, and the Revenue Office is hustling to reissue tags and registrations.

They say reports of people being stuck in line for five hours are bo­gus.

Granted it may be five hours if you get there at 6 a.m., and wait until the offices open at 8. But once the office opens, “we’re running them through,” said Deputy County Finance Manager Eric Pru­itt.

The office is fully staffed, Pruitt said. “But the most efficient way to go is to use the Internet or the mail.”

One for the women: A study by elephant.co.uk in Cardiff, Wales, found men have bigger highway crashes that cost more money than women. Elephant.co.uk looked at more than 200,000 claims and found young men in particular have more expensive crashes.

Crashes involving men under 25 cost on average 15 percent more than those involving women of the same ages. The cost of crashes involving male drivers of all ages is 6 percent higher than accidents involving women.

In case someone asks: Last Wednesday marked the 55th anni­versary of the Interstate Highway System. Today, interstates link all 48 continental states along more than 46,000 miles. Including dirt roads to interstates, there are just over 4 million miles of roads in the U.S.

Attendance on both days is re­quired to receive a certificate that may entitle the participant to an in­surance discount for up to three years. For more information and to pre-register, contact Gail Hahn, 678-8592.

Bumper snicker: I never under­stood will power until my dad threatened to cut me out of his.

Comment: It is obvious that peo­ple who drive with their handicap placard hanging from the rear-view mirror have vision problems. They can’t read the instruction printed on the placard to “Remove Before Driv­ing.” I wonder how many, if any, ci­tations have been issued for driving with an obstructed windshield. — A Fairfield resident.

Q. When a policeman in full uni­form blocks traffic on a public street on a Sunday morning to let cars exit a church parking lot, with a police car parked at roadside with flasher lights operating, is the policeman on duty (and if so, by what right is he blocking a public road for a private entity?) or is he off duty and being compensated by the church in which case by what right is he controlling traffic in full uniform with a flashing light operating on a city-owned police car? Does the answer vary from city to city? Is the answer any different if it is a sheriff’s deputy with a county sheriff’s car? If the officer is on duty, does he receive extra compensation from the church, and if so does he pocket it? If there is no extra compensation, is the service offered to every church in the city, and if not, why not? — Robert Walston, Vestavia.

A. Wow, what a loaded question. Miss Crazy asked Hoover Police Capt. Jim Coker to shed some light on this. He said the use of officers to direct traffic at churches varies jurisdiction by jurisdiction. In Hoover, the churches pay the officers for the service. In other jurisdictions, it may be provided by the agency depending on the needs of that particular community.

There are several Alabama laws which cover officers directing traffic and laws specifically dealing with off-duty officers. Anyone, in any jurisdiction, who employs off-duty officers must also provide liability insurance.

“We do not allow officers on duty to receive any compensation that is from any source other than the city,” Coker said. Many other people provide traffic control in many locations other than law enforcement, such as every school crossing guard, utilities working on the right of way; government and private entities performing road repairs or improvement, etc. “The bottom line is safety, which is why churches use officers.

The large volume of vehicles entering a roadway can cause, at the very least, confusion; no one wants to see crashes,” Coker said.

Q. I continue to see surveyors on the median of U.S. 280. What are they doing?

What is the prognosis/future for 280? _ Bill Prosch, Hoover.

A. Oh to have a crystal ball!

The surveyors are gathering geotechnical data for whatever the plan is for poor, battered 280. The governor has said he will make an announcement “this summer” on what the plan for the highway is, so for now we just wait.

Driver’s Side appears on Mondays. Write to driversside@bhamnews.com or visit Ginny MacDonald’s blog at: blog.al.com/drivers-side. Live Chats are on the blog Mondays at 1 p.m., although there is no chat today. You can follow her on Twitter at @DrivingMissCraz.